Records Left Over from Travels
Tags
Summary
Editor's review
The book is not a systematic academic work but the product of "when one has energy to spare, one studies letters"—hence "remaining records." This casual manner makes the essays all the more genuine and lively. Readers can share the author's pleasure in "conversing" with the ancients and learn how to settle an aesthetic mind in daily life. Against today's restlessness, the book offers a quiet strength, reminding us that in pursuing efficiency and utility we should not forget those seemingly "useless" things that nourish the spirit.
As reading matter, it suits bedside and desk for leisurely appreciation. Its value lies not in a fixed body of knowledge but in a way of thinking that blends learning, taste, and lived experience. Hao Jiwen's prose is calm and mild; allusions come naturally, without pedantry, showing deep learning absorbed into poise. For readers who wish to draw closer to traditional culture, cultivate humanistic sensibilities, or simply find a moment of quiet and resonance amid busy days, this is a volume worth savoring again and again.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Enthusiasts with a strong interest in traditional culture, including calligraphy and classical literature
- Readers seeking deeper reading and reflection in an age of fragmented attention
- Literary readers who appreciate calm, mild essays rich in bookish charm
- Urban readers seeking to settle body and mind in life and art
Not a good fit for
- Practical readers expecting systematic calligraphy techniques or art-history knowledge
- Readers who prefer strong plots, fast pacing, or popular internet culture
Reading tips
- Read at leisure rather than straight through; it suits dipping into a few pieces after meals or over tea
- Enhance the experience by exploring the classical steles, model calligraphies, or literary works mentioned in the book
- Some essays involve specialized connoisseurship; if something is not immediately clear, first take in the tone and imagery rather than forcing understanding
About the publisher
Guangxi Normal University Press is a publisher known for literature, foreign literature and history titles. Its 1,175 books in the database show a solid accumulation in classics and prose collections, including foreign literary works such as Les Fleurs du mal: Annotated Poems of Baudelaire, Snow Country, Dubliners and The Wild Palms, as well as modern prose compilations like The Complete Prose of Zhou Zuoren. History and philosophy also hold a notable share, with titles such as Running Dogs: Clerks and Runners in Qing County Yamen and The History and Thought of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom reflecting attention to Qing local administration and modern history. In art literature there is the 16-volume Ten Bamboo Studio Painting and Calligraphy Manual. Its author resources include foreign writers Charles Baudelaire and Yasunari Kawabata, translators and annotators Liu Nanqi and Zou Bo, and scholars such as Zhong Shuhe, Bradly W. Reed and You Chenjun. As public information is limited, this characterization is based only on the books in the database, which together present a profile balancing Chinese and foreign literary classics with academic works in the humanities and social sciences.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 引言
- 第一章 力挽颓心 一志未成的李敦愚
- 一、生平
- 二、修志
- 三、书法与收藏
- 四、结评
- 第二章 功曹小吏枭为神 欠钱不“举”的曹淮
- 一、家世
- 二、乱象
- 三、不举
- 第三章 大罗仙人盐作引 三晋儒商罗可桓
- 一、世家绵北
- 二、寄籍稷东
- 三、题名关西
- 四、选教岚南
- 五、结语
- 第四章 吴匡布政 四任介休的乌程人吴匡
- 一、西泠刻铭
- 二、卅年劳绩
- 三、修祠、保矿、交游
- 四、结语
- 第五章 王树枏在介休的隐居
- 一、绝代人从绝域还
- 二、郎营周的癖好
- 第六章 《汉魏六朝砖文》所及 王树枏交游述评
- 一、徐世昌
- 二、徐树铮
- 三、姚永概
- 四、吴闿生
- 五、杨昭儁
- 六、朱德裳
- 七、黄丙焜
- 八、杨增荦
- 九、邓镕
- 十、章华
- 十一、李云庆
- 十二、萧泽溥
- 十三、黄维翰
- 十四、涂凤书
- 十五、金兆丰
- 附录
- 故新疆布政使王公行状
- 罗履亨行状
- 明府张懿斋先生事略
- 《汉魏六朝砖文》及王树枏的书法观
- 王树枏姓名正字
- 后记
- 图版目录
FAQ
What is the book mainly about?
Do I need a foundation in calligraphy or classical Chinese studies to understand it?
What is the style of the book?
Comments
Find this book
This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.
About the author
Public information about Hao Jiwen is limited; all that is currently known is that one work by this author, Xingsheng Shenglu (A Remaining Record of Xingyu), survives and is classified under general biography. Judging from the title and category, the book appears to be a biographical work combining personal observations with historical materials, possibly centered on a person's activities, acquaintances, or local lore. The word "remaining record" in the title suggests a supplementary, gleaning purpose: the record may not be systematic, yet it carries value for preserving historical traces. Because the author's life, native place, period, and academic background cannot be confirmed, it is difficult to assess the origins of the writing or its overall style, and only limited observations on the surviving work are possible. Authors of this kind often leave their mark through a single modest work rather than a large body of writing; the prose may tend toward plainness, valuing factual record over elaboration, and may suit readers interested in biographical sources and local documents. In the absence of further material, an introduction to Hao Jiwen can go no further than the work itself, with the rest awaiting new discoveries.
